Metadata
Title
Public HealthMPH
Category
graduate
UUID
d60123bf1b9448c997e2e83671745d5d
Source URL
https://sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/courses/2026/public-health-mph
Parent URL
https://sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/courses/2026
Crawl Time
2026-03-23T16:36:21+00:00
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Public HealthMPH

Source: https://sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/courses/2026/public-health-mph Parent: https://sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/courses/2026

2026-27 entry

Public Health MPH

School of Medicine and Population Health, Faculty of Health\

Develop essential research, evaluation, and analytical skills for leading public health initiatives in the UK and globally. Our APHEA-accredited program helps to prepare you for professional roles in public health and offers a strong foundation for pursuing PhD-level studies.\

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Apply now for 2026 entry or book a place on our online open day on 29 April 2026 to see where a Sheffield masters could take you.

Course description

Public health is at the forefront of addressing global and local challenges by promoting health, preventing disease, and reducing inequalities.

As a top 100 global research university, our Public Health course offers a curriculum designed to prepare you with the skills needed for effective practice worldwide.

Our program introduces you to the principles of health protection, epidemiology, and research methods, along with a wide range of optional module choices. You’ll learn to tackle public health issues through both theoretical knowledge and practical problem-solving, supported by our expert faculty.

Intercalation

We accept medical students who wish to intercalate their studies. Find out more on the School of Medicine and Population Health website.

Continuing Professional Development

Many modules on this course can be studied as standalone CPD modules. It is possible to complete standalone modules and then apply to transfer to the MSc course. Any time spent on the CPD route counts toward a student's time limit to complete their chosen qualification.

Why study at Sheffield?

Do you have a question? Talk to us

Book a 15-minute online meeting with our school postgraduate taught courses director to find out more information and ask further questions.

Book an appointment with Hannah Jordan

Accreditation

This curriculum has been validated by the Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation (APHEA). The University of Sheffield is an APHEA-accredited institution.

Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation (APHEA) accredited institution Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation (APHEA) validated curriculum

Modules

A selection of modules is available each year - some examples are below. There may be changes before you start your course. As you progress through your course, we'll confirm additional details for the core and optional modules available to you.

Public Health modules

Core modules:

Dissertation : The module provides students an understanding of the processes and the skills required to undertake a supervised research project in their chosen study area. Having successfully completed the module, a student will be able to: demonstrate researcher skills commensurate with the achievement of a Master's degree; demonstrate independence of inquiry; produce a cogently argued piece of writing that demonstrates researcher competence and the ability to operate independently; address issues of research design, methodology, ethics and theoretical arguments, and locate their own research in relation to these issues.

**45 credits**

Epidemiology : Epidemiology is the discipline underpinning both effective public health practice and research into the causes, control and prevention of disease. Knowledge and understanding of epidemiological concepts and methods is a basic requirement for effective public health practice. \ \ This module will provide an introduction to epidemiology covering key epidemiological concepts; measures of disease; association and causation; confounding and bias. It will also introduce research designs including cross-sectional, ecological, cohort, case-control and intervention studies and introduce population health measures such as screening.

**15 credits**

Health Needs Assessment, Planning and Evaluation : Assessing health needs and tackling health inequalities are key aspects of public health work at the local, national and international level. This module will provide students with an understanding of the main approaches to, and methodologies for, conducting Health Needs Assessments and will equip them with an understanding of programme planning, and the monitoring and evaluation of programmes.

**15 credits**

Introduction to Research Methods : This module is offered across several programmes. Learning activities for the module are tailored to your individual specialist areas to provide learning that is relevant and specific to your chosen degree programme. This module introduces students to both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The module covers all stages of the research process, from initial planning, design, research ethics and public and patient involvement, through to data collection, analysis and dissemination stages. The module provides a foundation for further learning in specific research methods. It is primarily designed for students who do not have prior research experience and would be suitable for students from a range of backgrounds, but is particularly relevant to those interested in applied health related research.

**15 credits**

Introduction to Statistics and Critical Appraisal : The unit introduces students to basic concepts and techniques such as hypothesis testing and confidence interval estimation in statistics. Students will learn some simple statistical methods and the principles behind some advanced methods such as regression. It will equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and critically appraise statistics in research literature.The course is not aimed at 'doers' of statistics, that is, students who are going to design their own studies to collect and analyse their own data. It will not teach you how to analyse, present and report your own data.

**15 credits**

Critical Reflections in Global Health : Global health has been described as the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through the organised efforts of society, with the goal being the attainment of biological, physical, and mental well-being of all members of society. In this module we take an inter-disciplinary approach to explore these themes.\ \

**15 credits**

Optional modules

Disaster and Emergency Management : Disasters and emergencies can strike any community. It is not a question of whether a disaster will occur but when. However, the likelihood, scale and impact of a disaster can be minimized through appropriate emergency planning, preparation and response by the community, governmental and non-governmental organisations. This module will cover the key concepts of disaster and emergency management, explore some of the contemporary issues and develop students' knowledge and skills in this field.

**15 credits**

Communicable Disease Control : Health protection is one of the cornerstones of public health. The control of communicable diseases is one of the major functions of health protection. This module will cover the principles of surveillance, outbreak management, immunisation programmes, and prevention and control of infectious diseases. It will also present a broad range of common infectious disease topics including HIV, tuberculosis, meningitis, diarrhoeal illnesses and hospital acquired infections. This module would provide the essential foundations for students intending to undertake the Faculty of Public Health Part A/Diploma examination.

**15 credits**

Further Statistics for Health Science Researchers : The unit covers fundamental statistical concepts, and both simple statistical methods and the more widely used advanced methods of multiple regression, survival analysis and generalised linear models. It will be a practical module, including the teaching of the statistical software SPSS, equipping students with the knowledge and skills necessary to design and analyse a study to answer specific research questions; to understand and critically appraise the literature; and to present research findings in a suitable fashion.

**15 credits**

Economic Evaluation and Healthcare Financing : This module introduces the basic principles of economic evaluation as applied to healthcare interventions and healthcare financing. The core part of the course focuses on economic evaluation and covers the different types of evaluations that are available and the various stages and techniques that need to be applied to generate results. As alternative techniques are described, the strength and weakness of each will be highlighted, with the students being encouraged to critically appraise their appropriateness to different contexts. The course also introduces the concepts of markets and market failure, models of healthcare financing and objectives of healthcare systems. These topics draw on economic theory and use it to identify possible solutions to health system problems. Health system performance measurement will also be covered, linking the economic and health system content to empirical studies.\ \ The module requires the use of specialist terminology and definitions relating to health economics and healthcare financing. In addition, the content relating to economic evaluation requires students to be comfortable with mathematical concepts and notation; some calculations are also necessary.

**15 credits**

Health Promotion : Health Promotion enables people to take control over and improve their own health.  It builds on knowledge from behavioural science that individual behaviour and health are determined by the social, physical and economic environment.  This module will consider the nature of health promotion from a global perspective, the associated ideological dilemmas, current understanding of individual and group behaviours, methods of promoting health and the evaluation of health promotion.  The module will use the 5 key principles within the Ottawa Charter applied to health promotion as a framework.  Case studies will be used to give students practical examples of health promotion in different countries.

**15 credits**

Public Health Informatics : Public Health Informatics is a module designed to look at how informatics and information technology can be used to help address some of the major issues in public health. Public health informatics was traditionally defined as the systematic application of information and computer science and technology to public health practice, research, and learning (Yasnoff, 2000). In this module, we examine this rapidly changing field, using a combination of lectures, individual and group exercises and self directed learning. Key issues around the local, national and international contributions that technology, including artificial intelligence,  can make to public health are critically examined and students are given a theoretical and practical grounding in this increasingly important discipline.

**15 credits**

Systematic Reviews and Critical Appraisal Techniques : To familiarise students with principles of systematic reviews and critical appraisal and the acquisition of skills necessary to undertake such work. The unit includes: an introduction to principles of systematic literature reviews and critical appraisal; formulating a search strategy to find evidence across a range of sources; practicalities of writing up the results of a systematic review; introduction to Meta- analysis (reviews of quantitative studies) and meta-synthesis (reviews in qualitative studies); and dissemination of findings.

**15 credits**

Qualitative Research Design and Analysis : On completing the module students will be expected to be able to: understand a range of qualitative research approaches, data collection methods and forms of analysis; plan and undertake a simple analysis of student-generated qualitative data; critically appraise the methods and results of qualitative research.

**15 credits**

Foundations in Health Policy, Leadership and Management : This campus-based module, integrates the principles of health policy with the foundations in leadership and associated management of health care teams, services and systems, in the context of rapid changes and advances locally, nationally and internationally. There will be a particular focus on public health and health system issues throughout the module. \ \ A number of different cases will be used to illustrate the complexity of developing (or not) health policy and how related health and public health services are then managed and evaluated. Students will be supported in developing critical thinking about the relative effectiveness of different approaches to policy development and analysis. They will learn key approaches to leadership and management of health teams, services and systems, as well as gain an understanding of the complex interplay of the different actors in the health systems. They will acquire an appreciation of some of the key challenges and issues encountered in contemporary health service and health system management. Through exploration of these topics and critical analysis, students will develop know how to systematically assess,  as well as management and improvement by analysing several health care services within the broader cultural, commercial and political contexts. Over the course of the module students will work in small groups  to gain practical understanding of how to apply management and leadership theories and styles in different health care contexts, from health care teams to public health and health systems.

**15 credits**

Psychological and sociological approaches to health : There is increasing awareness amongst health professionals of the need to focus on social and psychosocial aspects of illness, as well as biomedical. This module provides an introduction to contemporary research in the field of health psychology covering both traditional mainstream approaches and newly emerging critical studies. It combines this with a sociological approach, studying how society is structured by looking at the patterns of relationships that have an existence over and above individuals and how this influences health and illness.  In this respect it looks at how health is distributed as a consequence of how people are related to each other in a number of ways.  This involves looking at how, for example, social class and gender relations result in varying patterns and experiences of health.\ \ Topics covered include: approaches within health psychology, for example understanding and changing health behaviour, the role of psychology in health and illness, and the application and relevance of contemporary work in global and cultural context.  The approach to sociology involves understanding how people share and shape understandings of what it means to be healthy or ill. We will explore how the meaning of health can shape encounters with various health professionals and how concepts of health and illness can shape and control the behaviour of different populations.

**15 credits**

The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it's up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research; funding changes; professional accreditation requirements; student or employer feedback; outcomes of reviews; and variations in staff or student numbers. In the event of any change we will inform students and take reasonable steps to minimise disruption.

Open days

Interested in postgraduate taught study?

Duration

1 year full-time

2 years part-time

Teaching

You will learn through lectures, seminars, tutorials and independent study.

Assessment

You will be assessed through coursework, exams and a dissertation.

Your career

Graduates of our Public Health masters programme find opportunities in many fields, often securing roles within health or public health settings. A notable percentage pursue further doctoral/PhD studies or work in research and academic positions which we feel reflects the high quality of our research-led teaching.

Recent graduates are employed in the UK as information analysts, senior public health managers, health promotion specialists, university researchers, and public health specialists within local authorities and the NHS. Internationally, our alumni have excelled in roles within governments, health departments, universities, hospitals, and non-governmental organisations. They take on leadership positions, public health program interventions and evaluations, research, and policy-making.

Student profiles

I love the University and Sheffield as a city. I did my undergraduate degree here and didn’t want to leave. Whilst what I learnt was related to public health, such as disease outbreak management, the problem solving skills can be applied to other areas in the future.”

Harriet Fidler\ Master of Public Health

[Sheffield public health alumnus honoured for leadership in medicine and humanitarian work

Hareen De Silva

Health Director, CADUS e.V., \ MPH Public Health](https://sheffield.ac.uk/smph/students/postgraduate-students/hareen-de-silva)

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 undergraduate honours degree in any subject or a Medical degree.

We assess each application on the basis of the applicant’s preparation and achievement as a whole. We may accept applicants whose qualifications don’t meet the published entry criteria but have other experience relevant to the course.

If required degree subjects and modules are listed, these are indicative only. Sometimes we may accept subjects or modules that aren’t listed, and sometimes we may not accept subjects or modules that are listed, depending on the content studied.

We also consider a wide range of international qualifications:

Entry requirements for international students

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 (with 6 in each component) or University equivalent.

Other English language qualifications we accept

Other requirements

We will not ask you to provide references or referee details as part of your application.

We do not require a supporting statement for this programme.

If you have any questions about entry requirements, please contact the school.

Fees and funding

Funding for postgraduate taught courses

NIHR INSIGHT bursaries

We are pleased to announce the availability of bursaries from the NIHR INSIGHT Programme for Yorkshire and Humber, offering financial support to eligible UK students.

Visit the NIHR INSIGHT Programme website for more information

Save on your course fees

£3,000 scholarships for international students

Overseas fee-paying students joining in September 2026 will automatically receive a £3,000 tuition fee discount (subject to eligibility) - no separate application form required.

Save up to £2,500 on your course fees

Are you a Sheffield graduate? You could save up to £2,500 on your postgraduate taught course fees, subject to eligibility.

Apply

You can apply now using our Postgraduate Online Application Form. It's a quick and easy process.

Apply now

More information

School of Medicine and Population Health

Contact

Start a conversation with us – you can get in touch by email, telephone or online chat.

Contacts for prospective students

Any supervisors and research areas listed are indicative and may change before the start of the course.

Our student protection plan

Recognition of professional qualifications: from 1 January 2021, in order to have any UK professional qualifications recognised for work in an EU country across a number of regulated and other professions you need to apply to the host country for recognition. Read information from the UK government and the EU Regulated Professions Database.

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